Christian Unity Restoration Home pushes for progress; hosts spaghetti dinner

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Christian Unity Restoration Home is one step closer to finishing a dream three years in the making.

After hosting a spaghetti dinner Monday night at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 320 S. Bradley St., Christian Unity chairwoman Linda Oates said the organization has enough money for a down payment toward a temporary home for men in need. The exact amount of funds raised was unknown as of Tuesday afternoon.

“We’ve raised a considerable amount of money,” she said. “We just need to find a place.”

Oates said CURH is working with multiple real estate agents to find a suitable location for the temporary men’s home.

After facing considerable criticism from the Mount Pleasant community, Oates said she is looking into finding a suitable location in Union Township.

“The neighborhood was just up in arms against us,” she said in a previous interview.

About 100 people came to the spaghetti dinner designed to raise money for the men’s home and raise awareness about the homeless problem in the Mount Pleasant community.

“We’re hoping to share information about the shelter and what we’re doing,” Oates said.

As a former homeless man, CURH founder Scott Roberson believe the temporary men’s home would be an asset to the Mount Pleasant community.

“I have personally experienced homelessness (and) addiction problems,” he said. “It’s been a wonderful experience because I’ve learned a lot.”

Roberson plans on moving into the finished home as a manager and helping the men get their lives back on track.

“We’re going to take people who really want to be citizens of this community and give them the opportunity so that they can benefit and Mount Pleasant can benefit,” he said.

Oates said the home would provide resources for its tenants, such as information about insurance, potential employers and independent housing.

Despite the resistance faced from the Mount Pleasant community, CURH has been drawing a large level of support from CMU students.

Holland junior Sam Long volunteered at the spaghetti dinner in order to receive volunteer hours that count toward her leadership minor program.

“I was looking for events that really sparked something in my heart,” she said.

Though this was Long’s first event working with CURH, she plans on spending more of her volunteer hours fundraising with the organization.

Mid Michigan Community College student Virginia Dowell proposed the idea for a spaghetti dinner after spending the past five months working with CURH. She also has a personal reason as to why she dedicates her time toward fundraising for a temporary men’s home.

“My mom was in a homeless shelter when I was a teenager,” she said. “It’s kind of hit home to me that we really need to reach out and support these people that have just been dealt bad cards.”